ABOUT DOCUMENTARY
İlhan Usmanbaş is the most important contemporary composer living today.
The documentary Sounds of the 20th Century: Usmanbaş will explore the music and pedagogy of Prof. İlhan Usmanbaş, as well the extraordinary philosophy of life that he has built on kindness and creativity, in three parts.
Usmanbaş, who was given the honorary title of State Artist in 1971, celebrated his 100th birthday in 2021 with a series of special events.
Today, at the age of 101, his laughter, energy and passion for music that contribute to his philosophy of living are still going strong.
The documentary is directed by Serdar Kökçeoğlu, director of the award-winning 2020 music documentary Mimaroğlu.
Co-written by Kökçeoğlu and Elif Dizdaroğlu, researcher for the documentary Mimaroğlu, the film is planned to be completed in late 2023.
Sounds of the 20th Century: Usmanbaş will be based on the memories and experiences of İlhan Usmanbaş to explore the journey of contemporary music in the 20th century, and will also feature commentary by musicologists, music researchers and composers.
Renowned as the most progressive composer of the modernist generation that followed the nationalist Turkish Five, Usmanbaş has based his work on the notion of “openness”. His compositions have inspired every generation that sought to create progressive new music.
Videos based on the music of Usmanbaş will also feature in this creative documentary as an audio-visual experience.
The documentary is planned to be screened in film festivals in Turkey and around the world, and to be released on streaming platforms in the 2024-2025 period. Preliminary meetings with streaming platforms are currently underway.
ABOUT USMANBAŞ
İlhan Usmanbaş was named a Republic of Turkey State Artist in 1971. He was awarded the Sevda Cenap And Foundation Golden Medal in 1993, and an honorary doctorate by Boğaziçi University in 2000.
Usmanbaş has shown affinity to the most innovative techniques of 20th century contemporary music, going on to establish his musical outlook on “openness” in later years, with the influence of atonality. He is among the most widely recognized composers from Turkey internationally.
In the 21st century, Usmanbaş’s progressive approach to music and his avantgarde compositions continue to influence not only his students, but all young people who have sought to make contemporary and innovative music.
Usmanbaş has dedicated his life and work to the Republic, which, in his words, has “given him everything”.